The corpse's bizarre phenomenon sent shivers down the spines of novices like Mu Yao and the others. "Could this be the corpse's true form?" Lu Hao couldn't help but voice the question on everyone's mind.
"That's right~"
Hearing this, Qing Yutong instinctively activated her Supernatural Ability to observe. However, the moment her spiritual gaze touched the corpse (void), something terrifying instantly occurred. She found herself unable to look away. Moreover, Qing Yutong was horrified to discover that the world in her eyes seemed to have been splashed with ink-black paint, turning gloomy and dark.
Fear silently crept into the depths of her heart, yet she couldn't cry out; her entire body seemed to have lost control. As time passed, the fear in her heart gradually disappeared. This feeling didn't put Qing Yutong at ease; instead, it filled her with an inexplicable sense of despair. Because she didn't know what was happening to her, how much time had passed... she couldn't even remember who she was or why she was here.
Just as Qing Yutong was about to sink completely.
Splash!!!
Qing Yutong's mind jolted awake; she felt as if she had fallen into water. She hurriedly tried to surface, and upon breaking the water, what met her eyes was a vast emptiness. Then, to her surprise, she discovered she could stand on the surface of the lake, giving her a chance to catch her breath.
Only... as far as her eyes could see, there was nothing but an endless sea horizon, with only the colors black and white in her vision. This seemed to be a world both shocking and... despair-inducing... Unaware of how much time had passed, Qing Yutong finally knelt down, her breathing returning to normal.
Qing Yutong found that her body wasn't injured, but the fear in her heart hadn't diminished in the slightest. She swore she never wanted to experience this feeling a second time. It was an indescribable feeling... a despair beyond comprehension. As if all things in the world had lost their meaning, and everything she possessed was nothing but an illusory dream. Everything would gradually fade into oblivion within the endless void, as time flowed on.
Tap!
Qing Yutong slapped her cheeks hard with both hands. "No! I can't sink into this, or I might immediately fall into eternal damnation." Qing Yutong furrowed her brows, murmuring continuously, trying to focus her attention.
A few minutes later, Qing Yutong finally managed to regain her composure, at least enough to walk without issue. But now the problem was how to leave this world. Learning her lesson, she refrained from using her Spirit Pupils. Yet no matter how Qing Yutong observed or searched everywhere for an exit, she found nothing.
She also killed any lingering hope in her heart. This likely had nothing to do with Sparkle. This was real reality, not an illusory environment. This world, aside from the colors black and white, seemed boundless. Herself, possessing color, felt like an anomaly in this world.
The only suspicious thing was the horizon—a black and white sun sat in the sky. It resembled a boundless black hole devouring everything in the universe, sending chills down one's spine. But now... Qing Yutong lowered her head, her beautiful face filled only with melancholy. In this space, Supernatural Abilities couldn't be used; she had no other options left, truly at the end of her rope.
Time held almost no meaning in this world, let alone what was happening outside. Given the current situation, Qing Yutong didn't even know if she could still be considered alive. If she continued wandering aimlessly... she herself didn't know what the outcome would be.
While thinking, Qing Yutong didn't notice that her pupils had, at some point, taken on other colors.
Tap!
Realizing her mental state was off, Qing Yutong hurriedly repeated the same method. But this time, she ended up staring blankly at her hands. She actually felt hardly any pain! This phenomenon was definitely not a good sign. Qing Yutong gritted her teeth, deciding immediately in her heart to take a gamble. She looked at this black and white sun and resolutely stepped forward.
"Stop..."
Qing Yutong: ?!!
At that moment, an ethereal voice reached her ears. This shocked her greatly. Could there be someone else in this world? "No! Impossible! This kind of world..."
Qing Yutong thought she was hallucinating, or that something was trying to deceive her; after all, how could anyone exist in this despairing world. But deep down, she held a sliver of hope that someone might come to save her. As she dazedly prepared to move forward again, the familiar voice came once more.
"This is not the direction you should go."
This time, Qing Yutong clearly heard someone speaking. The voice was ethereal and distant, belonging to a woman.
Drip... The calm water surface suddenly rippled. The crisp dripping sound was exceptionally clear in the quiet world. Qing Yutong looked toward the source of the sound. Under the black and white sun, a figure appeared. Seeing that figure approaching her, Qing Yutong momentarily didn't know what to do. After a moment's hesitation, she chose to stay put, placing her hopes on this unknown figure.
A few short minutes later, Qing Yutong finally got a clear view of the approaching figure. Her expression instantly turned to one of utter astonishment. The newcomer was actually a... woman, a woman with white hair and an exceedingly beautiful appearance. Even her own colorful self paled in comparison.
Red mandala flowers appeared on her right hand and chest, with red patterns spreading from her right hand across her body. Blood-red vertical pupils stared ahead, giving off an icy, frosty feeling that inspired awe. Qing Yutong remained anxious and uneasy; the woman before her gave her an extremely dangerous feeling.
After constantly reminding herself to stay calm, she also suppressed the urge to flee immediately. After mentally preparing herself, Qing Yutong pretended to be composed and stared at the other person. This person's figure almost merged with the black and white world, having lost most of its color. Only the few remaining traces of red proved this person's existence.
At the same time, Qing Yutong noticed the other's strange attire, inexplicably reminding her of Sparkle. She subconsciously asked, "Do you know Sparkle?"
But the moment the words left her mouth, she regretted it. She didn't even know if the other person was friend or foe; how could she question them so boldly? Qing Yutong understood that in this environment, she inevitably felt some emptiness, and the suppression in her heart led to her speaking without thinking. Now she could only hope she hadn't angered the other party.
Upon hearing the question, Acheron was indeed taken aback. Because she hadn't expected the other to address her directly.
'And did she just say Sparkle? Is it the Sparkle I'm thinking of?'
Currently, Acheron hadn't checked after opening the beginner's package, and since system characters were unrelated to each other, she didn't know about Sparkle.
'Could the person before me also be a transmigrator? But she doesn't seem to recognize me?'
After all, this world didn't have a certain game, so not knowing about Honkai: Star Rail was normal. Acheron only paused for a moment before asking.
"Are you referring to... that little girl from the Masked Fools?"
"Masked... Fool? That fox mask?" Seeing that the other party didn't seem to mind, Qing Yutong felt relieved and couldn't help but murmur. At the same time, the woman's words immediately reminded Qing Yutong of the red and white fox mask on Sparkle's head.
Could that mask be the symbol of the Masked Fools? "Masked Fools"? Is it some unknown faction or a certain identity? But compared to this term, the important thing was the person before her, and this person also knew Sparkle.
"Not exactly; we've only met once." The low murmur from the woman before her didn't escape Acheron's ears. Hearing about the fox mask, she guessed they were probably thinking of the same person.
But compared to that, there were more important matters now.
"That's not important. Come with me first."